A fully-electric Tesla has outsold the Ford Ranger ute for the first time ever.
The Tesla Model Y was Australia’s second bestselling car in June behind the Toyota HiLux ute.
Billionaire chief executive Elon Musk’s Tesla EV brand now outsells Mitsubishi, Subaru and Volkswagen as the key beneficiary of state government subsidies that have helped make fully-electric cars vastly more popular than hybrid vehicles.
The Australian-designed Ford Ranger was pushed into third place last month, after topping the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries sales charts in January, February and April this year.
This was the best-ever result for Tesla with 5,560 of the mid-sized Model Y SUV ordered in June, ahead of the Ranger’s 5,334 tally but behind the HiLux on 6,142.
Chinese-built cars had two spots on the top ten list, with the Tesla Model Y and the MG ZS, which had 3,756 sales for a model available as a fully-election SUV.
The Tesla Model Y was Australia’s second bestselling car in June behind the Toyota HiLux ute.
The Australian-designed Ford Ranger was pushed into third place last month, after topping the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries sales charts in January, February and April this year
Tesla had a 5.6 per cent market share in June, putting it in sixth place ahead of MG (4.8 per cent), Mitsubishi (4.2 per cent), Volkswagen (4.1 per cent) and Subaru (3.9 per cent).
Fully-electric cars had an 8.8 per cent market share in June, more than half the 16.6 per cent combined share for electric, hybrid and plug-in vehicles.
Ride sharing company Uber offers $3,500 in financial incentives for those who rent to buy a Tesla Model Y while the NSW government offers $3,000 rebates for EVs worth up to $68,750.
The most affordable Model Y scrapes in at $65,400.
Stamp duty exemptions are also available for EVs worth up to $78,000, potentially saving buyers up to $3,000.
So a buyer of a base model Model Y, drive away for less than $68,750, could be potentially subsidised by $5,540.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said more trendsetting buyers were interested in electric cars.
‘The early adopters of the new powertrain technology continue to push up the sales of electric vehicles across the country,’ Mr Weber said.
‘The steady introduction of new battery electric models across all model segments at more competitive price points is critically important as we deal with the challenges of supplying electric vehicles that meet business and personal consumer needs at prices the mainstream buyers can afford.’
Toyota, which has yet to release a fully-electric car in Australia, took the fifth spot with the RAV4 with 2,858 sales for an SUV which is available as a petrol-electric hybrid.
The Toyota LandCruiser was sixth with 2,724 sales, ahead of the Hyundai Tucson SUV with 2,667 sales.
The Hyundai i30 hatch was the only passenger car in the top ten, taking eighth spot with 2,523 sales.
Thai-built utes had four spots on the top ten list, rounding out with the Mazda BT-50 on 2,560 sales and the Isuzu D-Max, sharing the same platform, with 2,500 sales.
Only the Toyota HiLux (pictured), with 6,142 sales, outsold the Tesla Model Y in June
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